Indiana's Paul George puts up a shot in the first quarter as he had 16 points in the first half as the Indiana Pacers hosted the Atlanta Hawks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse Tuesday February 18, 2014.

Written by

Candace Buckner
candace.buckner@indystar.com

The success of the second half of the NBA season will depend on the Indiana Pacers' ability to imitate their early season.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel had planted this into his players' minds the moment they gathered again after the All-Star break. His message: To move forward as a team and hold on to first place in the Eastern Conference through April, they must play the way they did in November. So on Tuesday, the Pacers returned to their old selves in a 108-98 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

"We understood the dog days would be a grind. Now that's behind us," Vogel said. "We want to start the second half as ...